Nothing completes a crisp autumn
or rainy day like a bowl of creamy soup. I am pretty sure that there isn’t a
person out there who doesn’t have a nostalgic attachment to a “cream of
something” soup from their past or childhood. Well I have some good news
about that! You can keep your creamy, comforting stroll down memory lane
while also avoiding the bad and promoting awesome, clean nutrition. This soup
is very easy to make and is also great as a cold vichyssoise style
soup if you have leftovers. The salsa is a tangy compliment that offers extra
rich flavor in the truffle oil, but also completely optional.
Read More
Heirloom Tomato and Pumpkinseed Pesto Salad
If you raise basil on a regular
basis, you will encounter those times when you get busy and kind of ignore
the basil for a few days, and while you are busy doing other stuff, the basil
goes nuts and produces an abundance of flower stalks and leaves. This
happened to me the other day and in my rush to prune it all back, I ended up
with a giant pile of basil. So, since autumn is just around the corner, I
decided to do a variation of pesto using raw pepitas (pumpkinseeds). There
is something about the pumpkinseeds’ earthiness and association with the
impending fall season that just made it all seem right.
I am still getting some glorious heirloom tomatoes, although that
season is nearly over, so I put together this sort of “summer-fall”
transitional salad that is vegan, yet packed with high quality, raw protein
and healthy fats. This vegan pesto is very versatile and I have been using it
in a variety of ways beyond this salad. This recipe is definitely a keeper
and a healthier alternative to traditional pesto.
Heirloom Pole Bean & Potato Salad with Tarragon & Fennel Seed Dressing
Every year I plant a yummy
heirloom pole bean and it never disappoints. I actually don’t remember the
name…I think it is called “Rattlesnake.” I always go by the
picture on the seed package…a beautiful, purple spotted pole bean. It
recently started going crazy so I whipped up a quick and easy mid week salad,
and here it is for your sharing and noshing enjoyment.
Vegan Caprese with Pine Nut Cheese & Roasted Pepper Dressing
A
couple weeks ago I picked up a gorgeous pine nut cheese from Blode Kuh, one of my
favorite vendors at the Farmers Market. This cheese was screaming to be
made into some version of a caprese salad. Voila! Most times, the
simplest stuff using ingredients made with love, make the brightest and most
tasty dishes.
Vegan Cashew Nasturtium Pesto
Are you a pesto-file? Always
looking at different ways to make pesto? Here is one you quite possibly have
not tried yet, and it is very versatile. A couple weeks ago, I taught a
workshop on edible common garden flowers at Fig
Earth Supply, the edible nursery in my neighborhood. And, it got me
thinking of all the delightful, delicious ways we can get the most
nutritional bang from our outdoor spaces. Enter nasturtium
pesto!
Chickpea & Wild Mushroom Cakes with Basil-Mint Tzadziki
Lately
I have been thinking this a lot: “A tzadziki would go great with this
dish.” But I hadn’t found a great, vegan plain yogurt. Although some
will argue that dairy yogurt is good for you, if you are avoiding dairy, or
keeping vegan, a dairy yogurt just won’t do. Then the other day I was headed
to one of my local grocery stores, but coming from a completely different
direction than usual. Surprise! I rode my bicycle right into the South
Pasadena Farmer’s Market. I couldn’t get from one end of the market to
the other without completely spending all of my cash. Then I found a vegan
nut cheese maker called Blode Kuh. And
there before my eyes was a sample cup filled with cashew yogurt. Yum and yay,
because not only was the yogurt fantastic, the cheese maker accepted my
credit card on his “square” thing. Gotta love technology! This
recipe is devoted to the people at Blode Kuh! Thank you for your awesome
yogurt!! Read More
Green Pepita Soup
In
between your weekends of sugar, animal fat, and alcohol-laden holiday
festivities, on a quiet weeknight at home, when your body is clambering for
some real nutrition, try whipping up this extremely easy soup that is clean,
vegan, and packed with super nutrition. The pepitas, while delivering a
complete essential amino acid profile, also give it that comfort food edge
that will surely hit the spot on a cold winter night.
Roasted Pepper & Avocado Sushi
A couple weeks ago I was riding
my bicycle through Little Tokyo, which almost always leads to a stopover at
the Japanese supermarket. I stocked up on brown sushi rice, grabbed some
fresh produce and ventured into some plant-based sushi making when I got
home. I ended up with a pretty good variety of totally vegan sushi. This one
with red peppers ended up being one of the favorites, partly because of the
way the red pepper resembles traditional sushi fish like ahi tuna. In a recent
article on my nutrition blog, I shared some high alkaline foods
that people in their day to day cooking. Both red pepper and avocado made the
list. So, in a way, you can look at this as a healthy, alkalizing sushi!
Enjoy!